You didn’t really believe all that stuff, did you? The images of Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes hamming for the cameras; the aberration in May; the suggestion that Miami is a baseball town.

The Miami Marlins returned from last December’s MLB Winter Meetings with a new manager (Ozzie Guillen), a new closer (Heath Bell/3yr, $27 million), a new lead-off hitter (Jose Reyes/6yr, $106 million) and a starting left-handed pitcher (Mark Buehrle/4yr, $58 million) — $190 million — to parade around their gaudy new ballpark. It marked the birth of The Franchise and a team-record $101 million payroll. The Marlins were certain their new stars would bring new fans, more wins and a World Series title.

In June Major League Baseball teams launched their team-centric All-Star Game marketing campaigns. Last week team’s stepped up their PR as the deadline closed in Thursday night. The effort generated a single-day record 3.8 million votes. But, for all the hype and hometown pride, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game is pathetic.

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On April 15, 2013, two bombs exploded on Boylston Street just feet from the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The explosion took the lives of three people and injured an estimated 264 others. Dr. Joseph Murphy, a college professor and athletic trainer, was a medical volunteer that day. What he saw changed his life – permanently.